Abstract:
The proceeds of the illicit trade in precious metals are
used as currency to pay for, for example, other illicit goods
and support terrorism. Precious metals are often mined in
less developed countries and exported to and refined in
more industrialised regions. International cooperation,
sophisticated analytical techniques, combined with representative
databases make it possible to trace the source of
these stolen precious metals with the aim of obtaining
successful prosecution of the culprits. In this paper the
problem of illicit trade in precious metal-bearing materials
and the effects it has on the countries in which the
material originates is discussed. Combined with geological
knowledge of the origin of the material and knowledge of
the beneficiation processes utilized, enables determination
of the provenance of unknown materials and whether
the suspect material is illicit or not. Recent legislation with
regard to international trade and the need to ensure the legality
of the material traded is discussed, and some examples
of the effectiveness of the forensic investigation of gold
and platinum-group metal criminal cases are provided.
